Utility maintenance workers, such as linemen, are subject to sudden intense thermal arc flashes and are required to wear flame resistant clothing, including flame resistant shirts, in an attempt to protect themselves. Most flame resistant shirts are made of relatively heavy, impermeable fabric and cause retention of body heat. Heat stress and perspiration can increase the risk to the wearer. Previous efforts to address this problem have involved exotic aramid-based lightweight fabrics and standard shirt construction modified with front vents. These fabrics, while lighter weight, offer a lesser degree of protection, exist in limited color selections and degrade more readily to sunlight and ultra-violet rays than comparable grades of more common flame resistant fabrics. As a result, the end product of these approaches resulted in shirts that were less protective, and yet were more costly and had a different appearance than a standard shirt. Front venting also tended to snag as a worker climbed and grappled with his or her work.
The present invention addresses these problems by using readily available, moderately priced fire resistant fabrics and unique construction techniques. The unique construction consists of several main elements, namely a standard front half, but incorporating a side or back caped vent (or both) with ventilation eyelets under the armpits. These unique features achieve greater ventilation while being constructed in a manner and of materials to ensure compliance with applicable standards and regulations (ASTM F1506, NFPA 70E, and the apparel requirements of CFR 1910-269). The front half of the shirt is made using a high-end fabric, but has a standard design and does not have to be specially made, which reduces the total cost of manufacturing. The vent openings are uniquely made and located so that the wearer should not be exposed to radiant heat through the openings in an arc exposure that is within the rated capacity of the shirt.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a flame resistant shirt that uses readily available flame resistant fabrics, has a standard front half, and a vented back half, which provides ventilation without compromising the flame resistant quality.
Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.